Sunday, March 29, 2015

Hogs of War is a
relatively new band which is made up of scene veterans. What made you guys
decide to form this unit?

After the No Solution show with Sham 69 I kind of got a wild
hair up my ass and wanted to play out again. I’ve been doing art so long I
forgot how it feels to play music again, it’s in my blood. I post up on FB and Adrian replied. We
discussed what we wanted to do and churned on with..James replied and then we
recruited Cory and the Hogs were born.

What is the origin of
the band name? My first impression is that it’s a play off The Exploited song
“Dogs of War”.

That’s a crazy question, we just threw names around on a
group text some of them would’ve cracked you up, some bizarre shit being thrown
around. Then Hogs of War was agreed on.

Is this group a
continuation of the sounds you created in bands such as No Solution, Vice Grip,
Formula for Victory and Krullur?

Yes and no, it has all the elements of all our past bands
just mixed together and something different, but still and angry, hard and
pissed as ever.

Besides having a
wealth of experience playing in bands, you have also been extremely active in
creating art for flyers and album covers. Can you give some insight about your
passion for art? Who are your influences?

My passion for art goes back way before my days of hardcore
in kindergarten drawing Kiss, then to Iron Maiden covers. I was in about 7th
grade a friend had a Thrasher with an ad for Septic Death. Now that I have the
Attention that shit blew me away never seen anything like that before.. I spent
a majority of my early punk/skater days drawing every picture Zorlac put out in
Thrasher and ordering stuff from early Pusmort. Those packages were amazing,
usually came with 2 posters and he would always write a letter and sign it..I
said that’s what I want to do with my art. Another ground breaker in my style
was Agnostic Front-Cause for Alarm which still to this day is the best
Punk/Hardcore cover of all time simply amazing!! I started seeing more of Sean
Taggart’s stuff in zines and what not, kind of hard in the days before the
Internet. Then when Todd McFarlane dropped in Hulk, and Amazing-Spiderman he
had a big impact on my style as well. It’s been a dream come true seeing that
my art has gone global with Total Chaos, pretty stoked about it.

Keeping with the
previous question, you have had the fantastic opportunity to become a designer
for Embassy Skateboards. How did that come about? How has it been working with
them so far?

Met Lee Leal at a skate contest and showed him my work. He
was stoked and asked me if I wanted to a series with John Gibson, Craig
Johnson, Todd Prince, and Ken Fillion..Being a product of the Mid-80’s skate
scene I said hell yeah!! As mentioned above, Pushead doing the graphic for
Zorlac I kicked a ton of the Gibson’s and Johnson’s around in my day. It was a
dream come true and I was honored. I proudly display mine next to my Zorlac
models on my wall.

Being a longtime
veteran of the Houston
hardcore scene, what changes have you seen in the past few decades?

Want me to sugar coat or be honest with this question? Being
involved in the Houston
scene for nearly 25yrs now I’ve seen a lot of faces come and go. Hardcore to me
has always been about inviduality and just being yourself, and fuck what people
think, walk your own path. I think hardcore has lost that identity with the
whole gang/crew mentality. Back in the day we were just friends hanging out for
each other didn’t have flaunt it or all dress the same, we just looked out for
each other. Now days shows are nowhere as violent as the back in the day, the
fear is gone you could just feel it in the air. Now days kids all have their
little agendas too pc and hugging trees or being to easily offended by words
just basically retarded yeah I said it.. All follow the latest trends that
bands push out to them. I still can’t believe Krishna
is still relevant in Hardcore blows my

mind. I just wish that shit would go away.. Religion in my
opinion has no place in Hardcore. Don’t even get me started on Veganism,
probably the lamest thing to ever hit the scene. Keep your opinions to yourself
and don’t force them upon me... I go to shows not for a damn rally, shut up and
let the music do the talking.

The Internet is another thing that has changed, the scene
kids read shit on there and try to school me on stuff that was happening in the
80’s. I just shake my head. It’s taking a lot away from the integrity of
things. Remember when you would search and search for that one record and were
so stoked when you found it at Record Exchange. Now it’s available at the click
of a download, I’m guilty of it, but it’s not as rewarding as hunting stuff
down by getting out of the house and hitting multiple record shop several times
a week. Internet has its advantages with eBay, my guilty pleasure. I’ve been
able to acquire stuff I’ve never seen or would ever see in a store in Houston.

Back to Hogs of War,
when can we expect to see you live on the stage? What do you have planned?

Well May 1st our first show with you guys ay Rudz, and some
recording coming along very soon.

Thanks for the
interview. Feel free to have the last words.

Be true to yourself, and always follow your dreams and
passion in life. Never let that flame cease to be and never let others put it
out.. Peace out..

Friday, March 20, 2015

Here we have another cool release by Bazillion Points. I just have to say that they are one of my favorite
publishers. They just continue to press books that really speak to me. Already
they’ve release such great titles as Swedish
Death Metal and Metalion: The Slayer Mag
Diaries.

Initially I expected this book to be like Destroy All Movies: The Complete Guide to Punks
on Film. That book covered every movie imaginable that had some sort of
punk rock element (fantastic book that I need to review as well). However Heavy
Metal Movies is not limited to the music or culture on a film. It covers any
movie that would seem to appeal to heavy metal listeners, everything from
movies that have a metal soundtrack, documentaries, concert films, metal
musicians acting to insane b-movies.

It’s definitely a great reference guide for looking up everything from the
typical classics to long lost favorites. Although not completely illustrated,
it still has a fair amount of rare movie posters that will remind you of a time
long ago. At 560 pages, there’s a wealth of useless, yet fun knowledge. I
highly recommend it. This is definitely not a book that will collect dust on
my shelf!

Monday, March 16, 2015

So it was a cold, rainy Saturday. My allergies were driving
me insane with a constant sneezing and runny nose. Needless to say I felt two
steps behind in my energy level. What also didn’t help was the fact that I had
been out late the previous night. So with those complaints, I was out driving
to the record store, Vinal Edge to be exact.

Finally arriving my destination, I did my normal routine of
scanning the front area looking for show flyers or whatever promo items. The
first thing that caught my eye was a Xeroxed, black and white zine. This sort
of the thing always interests me. The cover featured two guys holding bottles of
alcohol with their eyes marked over. I figured it was a new music zine with
reviews. So of course I grabbed one.

Fast forward 5 days later. I finally had an opportunity to
sit down and give it a proper read. To my surprise, it was not a music zine. It
was a fictional narrative of some strange, unrelated (at least that’s what I
got out of it) short stories.

The editorial, written by J.C. Spann, rambles on about
procrastination, late night drinking and solitude. Basically it is self
deprecating giving the reader negative reasons of why to not read his
publication. Well I know that type of psychology. He really is using those
words to entice the reader. People in general are more attracted to negativity.
So, for me, the intro worked in grabbing my attention.

The stories seem to jump around in different situations. The
beginning tells about someone in a car going to Thanksgiving dinner with George
Bush senior and junior. However they make a stop in a trailer park. To the
narrator’s surprise, inside a trailer there was a rape shower with a leather
collar and chains hanging from the ceiling. The narrator fights his way out of
the trailer to evade a presidential rape.

The other stories tell about long, drunken drives at night, working
a boring clerical job at Huntsville
prison and going to a High On Fire concert. None of the stories are abundant in
action, but they do paint a realistic picture of some strange scenarios. So I
say the stories work in regard to keeping my attention. My verdict is that I do
look forward to reading the 2nd issue.

As for the author, I know very little about him other than a
picture collage in the zine. That section features images of Gorgoroth records
surrounded by beer cans, a guy wearing a Darkthrone t-shirt and a hooded person
pointing a rifle. So I can conclude they like good music. I am all about
supporting independent thinking artists. So go check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ROUGHDALE/624979220886879?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Interview conducted with Tom/Guitarist.First off, I must
congratulate you on the Saturnus EP.
That is a fantastic release both in the music and recording! Give some details
on the writing and recording?

Thanks! It was quite an experience getting it done. By the
time I got back in the band the material on Saturnus had already been written
mostly by guitarist Marvin Ruiz and drummer Blake Allison, both very solid
musicians who can seriously write a tune. For the recording and mastering
process we went through Corey Redick at Serra Studios in La MarqueTexas.
Corey really did an outstanding job making that album as heavy as it could possibly
be, and we are all very pleased with the final product.

Your band has always
had a great sound. I first saw you live at a Sound Exchange show some years
ago. At the time the band sounded great, but you really have morphed into a
mature, brutal sound. The death metal element is still strong in your music,
but I do sense some black metal influences as well. Has this been a gradual
progression?

I would say it’s always been there. In the beginning when we
were getting our very first songs out, I really felt it was important to keep
that kind of black metal/Scandinavian style in the writing. We are all big
melo-death and black metal fans, so that will always come out. The death metal
aspect actually came a little later, trying to be a littler heavier

Vocally and musically
Nephilim Terror is a complete extreme metal band. I know there has been a lot
of hard work put forth. Can you please tell us about your beginnings and how this
group all came about?

I can do my best, haha. Blake responded to an ad that I had
put out on Craigslist looking for people to start a band with. I also had just
recently met a bass player named Ryan, who was also going to school for audio
engineering at the time, so I got him in on it. The three of us met up for the
first time and we had our first song down in it’s entirety in about an hour or
so. It was one of those “we just kinda clicked” moments. Trying to find another
guitarist, Blake had played in a band with Marvin, and he fit in naturally as
well. And then there was this kid Danny who would skip school and hang out with
me and come to practices, who just so happened to do vocals, and it turned out
he was one of the best vocalists I’ve ever heard. So we really lucked out
there. He was another perfect fit. We had our first show March, 5 2009 at Texas
Metal Fest opening for Carcass and Suicide Silence.

In a previous
conversation you mentioned the band going through a possible line-up change.
How is that going and when do we expect to see you back on the stage?

Yeah, recently Danny and Marvin have parted ways from the
band mutually. Both just wanting to do something different musically, which we
totally support and understand. We have a new vocalist, Sean McFarlin, who
just slays, and we are currently trying out guitarists. Hopefully after getting
the guitarist situation figured out, we can start playing some shows again.

I know you had taken
a hiatus from the band but are now back in full force. How has the writing been
with your renewed input?

Good, I hope! Haha. From the start my basic elements when
writing for this band have always been catchy melodic lines, classical use of
harmonies, and SPEED!! haha. We are looking to slow things down a bit however,
bringing more rhythmic syncopation and a little groovier style along with
atmospheric qualities with what we already have going on.

You are definitely a
great technical guitar player. How are your studies in musical composition
coming along? When is the graduation date for your degree? Also, once complete,
what are your aspirations?

Man, thank you so much. Studying theory and composition is a
very long and tedious process, especially for being a lowly self-taught metal
guitarist haha. I enjoy studying with my peers and teachers though, I have a
really fun time playing in my jazz ensemble as well, a different environment to
say the least. I’m going to get my Associates in Arts with a field of study in
music this semester, after that I should be getting my bachelors in composition
within the next two years. Although lately I’ve been thinking of changing to
music education. IF I get all that done I would like to find a teaching job
teaching guitar at a music studio or a private school.

Last up, what’s in
the future? Any new recordings planned?

We are currently writing new material for a full length we
want to get out as soon as possible. So just taking care of that and hopping on
some shows! We’ve also been wanting to organize a tour so we might try to get
that going to promote the new EP

Now give some final
words.

All I want to say is a huge thanks to yourself for asking me
to do this, you’re a badass in every way possible. And thanks to everyone whos
supported us so far! We have many great things in store so stay tuned!

Friday, March 6, 2015

The other
day I did my routine viewing of the 1981 film Quest for Fire. I watch it every few years, for one because I like
it and two, it reminds me of my childhood going to the drive-in. I saw it on a
double feature with Conan the Barbarian…what
a great bill! I can still remember sitting on the hood of my parents’ car and
leaning back on the windshield watching this epic movie. Well by today’s
standards it’s not all that epic, but for me as a child it was. When the
previews for it hit TV, I saw cavemen and wooly mammoths, I had to see it!

It’s
amazing how the drive-in experience seemed so great, but in reality it sucked.
The sound was pure crap. Basically all the sound came through a beaten up
speaker that you would hang on the car window. I am sure there was some crystal
clear sound going through those suckers! Then you had to deal with the weather
elements. That is a whole other issue. Also there were distractions of people
getting intoxicated, acting like fools and brawling. If drive-ins were still
the norm I am sure the crime would be worse…but would create some great people
watching!

The first
time I saw a movie in an actual theater was seeing The Empire Strikes Back.
That was a whole new experience. The place was clean, the picture was clear and
the sound was upgraded. I also remember one of the theater patrons looked like
Mark Hamill. Luke Skywalker made a guest appearance.

Not to get
off track, but back to the prehistoric movie in discussion. The film only looks
slightly dated, mainly because of the wooly mammoth effects. However, all in
all, it remains a great piece of primitive story telling. I am not going to get
all into the plot but the direction does a great job of turning one problem
into a cool adventure for the three main Cro-Magnon protagonists. The film’s
dialog is made up completely of languages created by Anthony Burgess. Not much
sense would be made with cavemen speaking a modern language.

The cast is
pretty interesting. The lead character is played by Everett McGill who you may
recognize playing villains in films such as The
People Under the Stairs, Silver
Bullet and Under Siege 2…..oh and
Dune. Also starring, from Sons of Anarchy fame, is Ron Perlman. Perlman, making his film debut, didn’t need much make-up to
look like a caveman. Rae Dawn Chong, Tommy Chong’s daughter, plays an annoying
cavewoman. A little known fact is professional wrestlers The Exotic Adrian
Street and Giant Haystacks had small parts as well.

Currently
the movie is streaming on Netflix. Go check it out. It will make you appreciate running water and a bar of soap.

Monday, March 2, 2015

I must say when first
hearing your band it felt like a deformed hand grabbed me by the throat and violently
drug me into a time warp back to the late 80s-early 90s age of grindcore. To me
your music seems to pay homage to such greats as Terrorizer, S.O.B., Extreme
Noise Terror and Nausea. Your thoughts?

Thanks man, I think the sound we get is because of our
writing process and influences. All of our songs are written as a band. We get
to the practice space, kill some beers, and do what is fun.

Our backgrounds and influences mesh very well. I have a
heavy metal/stench style with experience on bass, guitar, and doing vocals so I
have a decent ear for how things should sound especially with being in key and
timing goes. Taylor
is a master at coming up with ripping riffs and his speed at dishing them out
is unmatched! We literally have to agree the writing needs to stop sometimes
because we have so much material to work with.
Tony has influences from an unlimited amount of bands which really gives
him a substantial ear for the song writing process. I think his vision of the
band is very clear to him which is nice because I can be a drifter at times.
The idea of the bass tone he wants and gets really gives us the low end of
heaviness that we wouldn't have otherwise. The drums have become a very driving
part in song writing also, Napo knows the
right times to step in and take charge. He has become a very heavy hitting and
confident drummer which is exactly what we need. We like to create a clean and
crisp slate for Ryan to work with, we got lucky getting a great sounding
vocalist. We can always count on Ryan to kick ass at every show no matter what
obstacles are in the way.

By the time a song is done its been through the ringer, I
always know that what we end up agreeing on is a reflection of our strongest
areas combined. We have learned how to work together as a band and we are
getting better every time.

Your currently have a
6 song demo available in digital format. I really like it! I listened to it
like 7 times in a row. Do you also circulate a hard copy?

Awesome! I'm glad you liked it! We just pressed some tapes
and have been getting rid of them fast. Right now we have only been selling
them at shows.

I really like the
production of the demo. The guitars and vocals are raw as hell. I also was
drawn to that thumping pop of the snare. Was this an in-house production for
you guys?

No, we didn't record it ourselves. After recording Krullur I
don't think that's something I ever wanna do again! Well at least not as drawn
out of a process as that was.

We recorded with Chris Ryan at Sterret Street Studios, he
was a great guy to work with. He was very patient and skilled at what he does.
I highly recommend.

Do you have any plans
of doing an official release…vinyl?

Fuck yes, we are actually now in the process of planning our
journey onto vinyl. All the music is ready to be recorded, we will be in the
studio very soon. The plan is to do a 12" split with Alimanias and then do
our own 7".

Your grinding music
is accompanied by horror, post apocalyptic images. With that being said, do
your lyrics cover all the acts of kindness that humanity bestows to the earth?

Haha, well in this band we all let Ryan take care of the
vast majority of the lyrical content. So songs like 'Burn The Church' and
lyrics like...

"Man made god in his image.

Blind, scared, stupid, and full of hate."

...are some beautiful and poetic hymns that should (but
don't) accompany every Sunday church service IMO. But hey, maybe one day...

Are you the sole
person in charge of the band art? Online I’ve seen some great drawings and show
flyers you have created. Let’s dive into that aspect a little. Tell more about
your art background. Did you start as a child? What are your influences? With
your finished work, what digital imaging programs do you use?

Our friend Ryan Timony did the cover of our demo and our
logo design, I do a lot of the art now but that doesn't shut any doors for who
we might use in the future.

I always drew as a child but never really got good until I
put a lot of time into it and that didn't happen until I went to state jail.

I did time for cutting some priest’s penis off and kicking
it up his ass /: naw not really...

I used to be a drug abuser, that ended with me getting
arrested while ditching my burning vehicle in front of a gas station. I was on
foot and fucked up outta my mind with various illegal drugs. They only charged
me for the blow.

First I was sentenced to a 6 month in patient rehab. During
that time I drew an 84 page comic of the descent into hell in straight
ballpoint pen. I have never drawn straight pen to paper like that again but I
know it taught me very much. It mainly taught me to keep going, to push through
the drawing, and to have creative adaptation. I had a friend smuggle the comic
out of rehab and never got it back.

I got out of rehab and straight to a half way house which I
eventually fucked off and ended up busted doing more time now in State jail.

In jail the only peace I found was creating my own reality.
I saw many reach out to the 'god' of this earth as is written in the book of
holy shit. It was pathetic. Prisons are rampant with bible being passed out. I
used mine as rolling paper and filled revelations with demonic images. My mind
was very ill feeling all of the time, silence was a true treasure to have. When
I would draw I would mentally shut out everything going on around me. The
permeating noise, the ugliness of the tank, and the defeat in everyone's eyes
would for those moments be gone. I learned the true power that images can
obtain if designed with intent.

I learned to build tattoo guns during my incarceration and
did many tattoos in return or food, tobacco, and weed. Though I never pursued
tattooing again since my departure it is definitely something I don't regret.
It helped keep me sane.

So that was my first dive into understanding and creating
art. I used the microcosm I was in as a testing ground for things like using
subliminal messages and even understanding how they make others react. I did 15
months in all plus the 5 months in the court ordered half way house. After I
was free of the legal system I took a long drawing hiatus. Now I am back at it
with a clearer mind than ever.

My influences were strictly Satan, hell, and demons for a
very long time. Satanic imagery will always be the seed from where my art began
to bloom but it definitely isn't its extent.

Right now I am working on a comic I wrote. I have Daniel
Shaw doing the inking which is amazing! I draw all the pencils and he inks all
the pages then I do the lettering and color.
It has been a long journey so far and we both have busy lives but it continues.
Completed it will be a 48 page introduction to what I hope will be an ongoing
series. I have learned so much in the short time collaborating with Daniel, no
books compare to his 20+ years of inking.

For finishing up my art I use mainly Photoshop and sometimes
adobe illustrator. Those programs are extremely great for getting the most out
of your art but will only take you as far as the time you've invest studying
them. They are both overwhelming to get into but after hundred of hours they
start to pay off.

Let’s step back in
time for a minute. Previously you had a great tenure in Krullur. Please tell a
little about that era of your playing career.

I actually first tried out for Krullur when I was 18, so it
was 2005-2006? Even though I only played guitar at the time I said I would try
out on vocals.

I remember I was with a group of my friends and we had just
bought a ton of booze from a convenience store that used to sell to me even
though I was under age, in the midst of it my phone rang.

Its Kyle Laven "Hey are you gonna make it out? We are
all waiting..." I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to try out for
this band he said he was in. Having flaked out twice already he said this would
be a strike out if I didn't make it. Fuck.

Ditched what I was doing and soon I was fucking hammered
drinking vodka out of a water bottle with a 40oz king cobra and a red MD 20/20.
I was singing Black Metal by Venom. I blacked out after running through the
song a few times. I never heard back about being accepted, I'm sure it sucked.
At that time Kyle Laven and Tommy Coston were the guitar players in Krullur,
(they never ended up playing live) Marty was kicked out during that time.

I didn't see Jay again until I had gone in and out of jail,
which was preceded by Kyle and I crossing paths again but now I had a shaved
head (because jail) and hadn't played anything in a long time, its was around
2009. Krullur was now Kyle and Marty on guitars and Jay on drums. No bassist,
no singer. Kyle again suggested I try out but on bass this time. I was living
with him at his parents’ house and I would go over to Jay's house with him for
practice anyway. I fucking sucked and Jay really had no intention of keeping me
in the band at all. Kyle told me later that he had to keep begging Jay to let
me come over and jam, (for the record IDK if that's true) I really did have a
long way to go and there was no telling I would ever be any good. This
persisted.

Kyle started slipping on his playing and we noticed that he
was using too many of whatever he was doing. Kyle's drug use got worse and I
was finally getting a grip on bass and now also vocals. We played as a four
piece never doing any shows rehearsing twice a week.

It finally got to the point that everyone realized Kyle
wasn't gonna work out. It really sucked, the negative effects that getting
'fucked up' was having became more apparent. At this point I had already moved
out of his parents’ house so I didn't see him outside of practice as much as I
used to. We decide to kick him out. He felt betrayed.

Kyle came to our first live show at the engine room. The
line up was Jay on drums, Marty on guitar, and me on bass and vocals. It would
stay this way for 5 years. I think that's the last time I ever saw Kyle. He is
the sole reason I was able to join Krullur which led to Krullur breaking a 5
year stagnancy. I do miss when Kyle and I were best friends.

From that first show on we continued to play live, practice
as always was Thursday 8-10pm and Saturday 8pm-12am. Some of the bands we did
shows with were Deceased, Condition Critical, Hellwitch, Solstice, PLF,
Warbeast, Insecticide, Lethal Aggression, Deadly Reign, Vital Remains, Social
Decay, and many more local/touring acts. I think we always put on a pretty
solid show though I do remember there being things I could have done better
when I first started hitting the stage.

Throughout my time with Krullur, Jay and I recorded the
'Grounds For Termination' EP. I think it came out really well for having done
it ourselves. It got Krullur signed to HorrorPainGoreDeath records.

A few things contributed to my decision to quit Krullur, in
the end it demanded too much time for something that I felt was worn down for
me. It was a great ride to be a part of and I regret nothing, I would do it all
again in a heart beat. Till this day it is the longest thing I have ever stuck
with. I hold the utmost respect for Jay and Marty, we went through many things
together and I will always remember Kyle for being a great friend when he was.

Krullur and I may cross paths on the stage again, no one can
be sure.

Was GFF a project
created while in Krullur or was it formed after your departure?

God Fearing Fuck was already created and in the process of
really taking form. I’m the last piece that joined creating the line up we have
now.

I joined God Fearing Fuck a few months before I called it
quits with Krullur. The last show I did with Krullur was Jan 10, 2015 at
Mango's which I wasn't even supposed to play. Their singer got locked up the
night before for some traffic shit so I filled in on vocals. I didn't wanna
leave them, the promoter, and venue hanging.

Since appearing on
the live scene, it seems like you have been busy playing quite a bit of gigs.
How has the reception been? Have you brought over some of the Krullur audience?

The reception has been awesome playing live both with
Krullur and God Fearing Fuck. I have a very high respect for people who support
music and art but especially live shows. I think a live show is a very honest
form of art. What I mean is that much like our live's energies will ring out
and eventually fade away as do all the notes, drums, and vocals (plus whatever
other sounds/instruments) at a show and none can be redone, its all done in one
shot. Much like a life each show has its mistakes, its brilliance, and it's own
purpose as it finds its way to the eschaton. Everyone has their reasons for
going to live shows and supporting the extreme music I have been a part of. The
community has always treated me well and I appreciate every person that has watched
any show I have been a part of.

I think the God Fearing Fuck shows bring a lot of extreme
music lovers out as did Krullur. Its hard to tell if the different fan based
have crossed over much but I think they have for the most part.